In Service to the Republic
by TheUltimateCombo
Summary: The 227th are just one of many legions serving the Republic during the Clone Wars. Led by Jedi Knight Robert I'sha and Commander Spilli, this unit must tackle every challenge from standard warfare to operations with Republic Intelligence. Part of a series I'm starting.


_Cryos, Anima Star System, 22BBY. 3 weeks prior to the Battle of Geonosis_

Queen Lyra entered her chambers, followed closely by her guards and royal advisors. Cryos was one of seven inhabited worlds surrounding the star of Anima. A rarity within the galaxy, the Republic had been keen on gaining this system's loyalty. And they had succeeded. For nearly 1000 years, the planets of the Anima system had been part of the Galactic Republic, with each holding seats within the Senate. Recently, with the rise of succession, some had rescinded their places in the Galactic Senate, and began discussing the prospects and considerations of separation.

The star Anima was home to ten planets: Anima Prime, Cryos, Tygreeria, Dogea, Nestus, Raptora, Eques, Hive, Nomad, and Cennar. Aside from the seven which hosted life, Nomad was utilized as neutral ground, a place to discuss treaties and agreements. After a war between the insectoid races of Hive and the Tygreerians, Nomad housed an assembly between the seven representatives, leading to peace and a unification of the system.

Nomad had been in use once again, this time housing talks between those who wished to remain loyal to the Republic, and those who wished to join the ever-growing Confederacy. The proceedings had become intense, so much so, that they had been adjourned out of fear of violence.

The council chairman had decided that a vote was in order. Each member of the committee, a board of about 21 senators, royal dignitaries and civil leaders, was to take time to consider their options. It was advised that they either stayed as a system, or left as a system, in order to prevent civil war.

Lyra held her head, the stress of politics weighing heavy on her mind. Her guards stayed ever-alert, for even while at home amongst their own, threats to the Queen's sovereignty were constant. She believed in the good of the Republic, a near unlimited access to imported food and essential supplies, widespread exposure to galactic culture, and of course, the opportunity to export the finest goods Cryos had to offer. Separation would make that difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

"My Queen, if I may," one of her advisors began, "I suggest reporting these proceedings to the Republic."

"They will not respond," her general replied. "The Republic's own inaction is what lead to these talks."

"My Queen, there are those who stand with you," the advisor continued. "And the cost of Separatism is too high."

Lyra shook her head in thought. Loud bursts sounded from overhead. All in the room looked through the windows of her office. One of their own Cryosian cruisers had split in half, descending from its position in orbit. They could make out small ships surrounding the falling debris. The ships seemed to be picking off the debris.

"General Sionis, contact Prime Minister N'aff," Lyra ordered. Sionis rushed out of the room. Lyra's guards ordered her away from the window, pulling her away just in time, as fighter fire shot in the window, killing two of the magistrates.

"That looked like a Vulture Droid," one of the guards muttered.

"That's impossible," another replied. "Dooku's Separatists aren't at war."

Taking a dangerous peek out of the shattered window, Lyra could see more ships entering the planet's atmosphere. As a Grillion, her feline eyesight enabled her to consider details most were unable to see. Though the sun had begun to set, the hazy glow illuminated the color patterns on the incoming ships. Her ears picked up their distinctive hum. And as they drew closer, she knew whose fleet had attacked them.

"My Queen," General Sionis shouted, "Tygreeria is under attack!"

"So are we," she replied solemnly. She heard shouting in the streets. The clanking of metal. The scurry of slender limbs. And the striking hiss of a Spydeerian shooting its webbing.

Hive had made its decision.

_Dogea, 22 BBY, 2 and a half months into the Clone Wars_

When other the planets of Anima fell, leaving Dogea as the last remaining loyalist, the Republic had responded. A massive invasion had been staged, and after fighting off the Separatists on Dogea, the fleets of the Republic carefully moved onward to besiege the CIS strongholds. While Jedi Knight Perdi Dath and her clones defended the Dalmeen cities of the luscious North, Jedi Knight Robert I'sha and his 227th legion defended King Gronis and the Labradath tribes of the South.

Now, I'sha and his commander Spilli were preparing to embark on their next journey.

"My fellow Jedi are already making progress on other planets. I'm afraid it's time we got going."

"Safe travels, Master Jedi," King Gronis replied. After I'sha and Spilli bowed in farewell, the clone briefed his general aboard the gunship.

"General, the remainder of the legion is already at Cryos. General Shay is waiting for your orders."

"Have they started the ground assault?"

"Negative. They're waiting for our arrival. Ours will be one of the first three battalions down, just as planned."

"What're they doing now?"

"Holding the Seppies in orbit and waiting for us."

"Let's not keep them then."

_Cryos, 22BBY_

The Venator _Beachhead_ approached the fleet that had already engaged the enemy. Commander Spilli and Robert I'sha entered the briefing room. Lieutenants Drop and Nova were already inside with their squads.

"Tetch, boot up the projector," Spilli ordered. The corporal nodded and pressed the button. A map appeared of Cryos' surface, noting key installations across the main continent. Tetch pressed another button. Holograms of Jedi Knight Caryl Shay and Commander Cobra appeared, alongside Commander Lyon of the 43rd Battalion, and Commander Vard of the 303rd.

"Gentlemen," Spilli ordered his fellow clones, "take a bow. General I'sha's gonna go over the plan."

I'sha stepped forward.

"Thanks, Spilli. Commander Spilli and I will deploy alongside Caryl and her troops to the city of Molani. Lyon, I want you in the neighboring city of Toffat. Once we clear the droids stationed there, we're going to travel through the forests, taking out droid resistance and helping the locals. Vard, after we leave the twin cities, your troops will deploy after us."

"Yes, General." Vard nodded.

"The entirety of the 227th is here. That includes my battalion, Cobra and the 226th, Vard and Lyon, but also the fleet's security regiment and twelve other battalions in the main army. CIS General Orchid Rachna is stationed in the capital city of Mogom. And that's a long way from Toffat. But this isn't about one battle, it's about liberating the Grillion from the oppression of the CIS." Spilli added.

"Any questions?" I'sha looked around. "Good. Let's go to work."

The holograms disappeared and the squad dispersed to the hangar bay. I'sha got on board one of the gunships, alongside Spilli and Drop. Nova and his squad entered another gunship. Aboard the first, Quick muttered whilst checking his rifle.

"What's the matter?" Penny asked.

"Don't you remember this place in world education?"

When Penny shook his head, Quick continued.

"It's known for its freezing rains."

Penny looked at his standard issue armor. Noticing that everyone's armor was the standard, non-insulated type, he uttered the realization,

"Oh, kriff."

The dorsal hangars opened, and the gunships were off, preceded by ARC-170s and V-19s. As the ship shook, the clones inside tensed up. Sponger, the heavy gunner, laughed it off, saying,

"Buckle your guts, it's gonna be a bumpy one!"

Parker hunched over, as if to hurl, but Drop pulled him back upright, telling him,

"Not on my ship."

Over the coms, the pilot came through.

"_This is Captain 5818-86 telling everyone to buckle in and stay calm. And if you're standing, please use the handrails. We're experiencing light turbulence, but it's nothing to worry about. I've haven't crashed a ship since last week._"

"Oh joy," Quick clipped. "Coke has a sense of humor."

Another hard shake and the lights went out. The clones activated night vision, pulling their macro-visors down.

"Pilot," Drop called out, "where's our lights?"

As the lights came back on, the pilot replied,

"_Sorry about that. We needed to reroute power to slip past the blockade._"

The blast shields opened, revealing the rich green trees of Cryos. The approach to Molani was swift, but beautiful, as flora and winged fauna passed their view.

"Remember boys, _this_ is what we're fighting for," Spilli said.

The gunships zipped through the sky. At least two miles had gone by when Molani came into view. The twin cities of Molani and Toffat were surrounded by the luscious jungle covering most of the region. In fact, most Grillion cities were separated by vast distance, meaning that the Jedi and their clones would have to travel through dense foliage in order to reach their next targets.

Blaster fire erupted from the roof of a building, barely missing one of the gunships. Coke and his co-pilot fired the gunship's wing-mounted laser cannons, while another gunship fired the main guns. Droids had been stationed on the rooftops, lying in wait for the Republic army. Coke opened the gunship's doors, and I'sha jumped out, drawing his lightsaber and landing gracefully on the surface. I'sha brought up his saber to deflect several blaster bolts, as Spilli and the rest of the team descended via zipline.

"Go, go, go!"

"For the Republic!"

"Eat laser clankers!"

As Sponger let go of the line, gripping the fore-handle of his Z-6, the gunship pulled away, heading back to the cruiser. Quick, Penny, and Parker closed ranks on the general, while Drop, 6167, and Tetch attempted a perimeter. When Nova and his squad joined them, the team formed a defensive circle, firing at the droids above.

Fortunately, Caryl and Cobra had chosen to land on the rooftops and made quick work of the droids. The streets now filled with the sounds of clanking metal.

"We've got Spiders inbound!"

I'sha took up a forward position, as Spilli and the men found cover. Several dwarf spider droids entered the street, accompanied by several B1 and B2 battle droids. Caryl jumped down to help the clones below, as Cobra and his men took up sniping positions along the roof.

"Wilson, we need droid poppers!" Drop ordered. A clone raced forward, hurling several EMP grenades, one after the other, into the advancing droid force. One of the B1s screamed in terror as the shock detonated behind him. Robert and Caryl struck down two of the Spiders, making quick work of a few B2s while Spilli and Cobra's squads advanced. As the last of the Spider droids fell, I'sha turned to Caryl, saying,

"Well, we made it down here."

"It's a start," she replied.

"Alright troops, we have a city to win. This isn't gonna be easy."

"So, eyes high and heads on a swivel," Spilli said to the clones. "I want your lips locked, and your limbs nimble."

"Sir yes sir!"

Explosions rang off in the distance. The rest of the battalion had already engaged the enemy. It was time to get back to work.

_Capital City of Mogom_

Orchid Rachna was a Spydeerian, one of the many insectoid species that infested Hive. Her large rounded head was adorned with five central eyes, and twelve auxiliary ones. Her mouth opened like a snapper, with serrated edges in place of teeth. Her gaping maw led to a cylindrical body, barely enough to house her vital organs, but large enough to store whatever size prey she desired. Four long slender legs to walk, two mid-sized legs to hold prey, and two miniature legs to help dissect and consume prey. Lastly, the weapon of all Spydeerians, her web compartment. Quite a large tool, it stayed behind while at rest. However, it could be flexed into a forward facing cannon, shooting out strong webbing to capture and contain any unfortunate morsel in a Spydeerian's grasp.

Spydeerians were largely considered a cannibalistic race, for while they did not feed on their own, they had no qualms about consuming the flesh of other sentient beings. Fortunately, their diet ended at humans. Unfortunately, felines such as the Tygreerians and Grillion were fair game.

Rachna had wasted no time in devouring her prized captives once she took over. Queen Lyra, her advisors and her royal family, had all been part of an elaborate feast. Any unfortunate Grillion captives from across the region had to be transported to Mogom to keep Orchid well fed. She was by far the most ruthless of all her colleagues, and the blood of innocents laid on her tongue. Despite being far from organic, even her battle droids feared her voraciousness, preferring to avoid contact with her whenever possible.

Even now, as she entered her feeding chamber, the tensing of metallic joints could be heard. A B2 battle droid exited the room upon her entry. Strapped to the table was a helpless Grillion cub. It squirmed in fear, crying out softly. Rachna's forward legs rubbed together in anticipation. She rose to full height, and the cub closed its eyes. There was no emotion on the arachnid's face. Just a cold, unfeeling stare. Such was their nature.

As the cub squealed out in pain, the slushy crunch of bone and intestine ringing out, the B1 battle droids stationed nearby froze in fear. The two battle droids shared a look of concern, shuddering as the cub made its final utterance. Several more crunches, and Rachna was done feeding. She turned around and scurried back to her command center. As she passed by a cell, she heard the soft cries of the cub's mother. Looking at the distraught woman, Orchid formed a demonic grin.

She tapped the cell door with her long foreleg, prompting the nearby B2 to open the cell. Another B2 joined its brother in escorting the mother to the feeding chamber. As she screamed numerous denials, the B2s slowly and soberly led her to the room that would soon be her grave. Rachna turned back to continue her journey. And now she could savor the taste of dinner.

_The Venator _Beachhead, _In Orbit Above Cryos_

Admiral Perkin watched as the fighters dogfought around the cruisers. Though the droids had them outnumbered, Coke and his squadron were holding their own. Maps, one of the navigation officers approached the admiral.

"Sir," Maps began, "General I'sha and General Shay have made it through the city."

"Any refugees?"

"No sir. Nova's report suggests that the town had been deserted for some time."

"Tell Commander Vard that it's time to get going."

"Yes sir."

Maps walked away, conferring with Bridger, the two of them walking to the holotable. Admiral Perkin sighed in agitation. It was ordered that the fleets hold their positions, only making the needed breaks in the blockade to allow the transport of troops. Even still, the Nurat admiral wanted to press through and shut off the CIS's orbital support. With at least eleven Venators on his side, he could easily break their defenses, but orders were orders. Two of the battalions were tasked with hunting a Separatist air depot, while another was going to destroy an anti-air installation. The Seppies had dug in deep on Cryos, and with pockets of droid resistance across the planet, there were untold dangers to any Republic blockade.

The Venator _Dauntless_ opened its dorsal hangar doors, and the gunships of the 303rd battalion were away. Night Squadron flew in to aid their journey.

"Dusk to Night Unit: all wings on me."

"_We read you Night Leader."_

Six V-19s flew into formation. Captain Dusk took the lead, racing through to penetrate the blockade. He led the gunships between two Munificent frigates, pilots Hook and Kaze striking at each frigate's cannons. Shaw and Silencer dealt with vulture droids as Roland pulled up the rear. The ARC-170s from Pop Squadron flew by overhead, clearing a pathway to the surface. Breaking through the atmosphere, the fighters split off, taking on droid fighters.

The pilots of the 303rd, were left on their own. As they approached the landing zone outside of Toffat, a homing spider droid shot one of the gunships out of the sky. Several more spider droids appeared through the tree line, firing from different directions. Dusk and his pilots began strafing the droid positions but doing so left the gunships open to fighter attack. A swarm of vulture droids converged on the 303rd gunships. Several were shot down from behind, until only two were left.

Frantic, the last two pilots opened the gunships' bay doors.

"_Everybody out!_"

"No ziplines?" one clone asked.

"No time!" another shouted, jumping out.

Four of the twelve aboard had managed to jump into the trees before the gunship exploded. Only two escaped the other gunship before it too went down. As soon as the six who escaped hit the ground, they were captured by droidekas. The 303rd was out of the fight.

_The Jungles Beyond Molani and Toffat_

Robert I'sha rushed through the droid patrols advancing on the city. Commander Lyon and the 43rd had joined the assault group, and the battle was only ramping up. Trees came crashing down all around. Clones cried out as they were either hit by falling foliage, blaster bolts, or shrapnel. Second and third platoons stayed behind Spilli and I'sha, taking cover behind the fallen trees.

"I don't remember signing up for _this_!" Quick snapped, letting off a string of shots.

"The forest is too thick," Penny called out, "I can't even see anything."

"Just keep at 'em!" CT-6167 replied. "They're bound to break at some point!"

An explosion rang out, sending two troopers flying. Tetch ran up to them, checking their pulse.

"Krozer, get over here!" Tetch shouted.

Krozer, the team medic, ran over, letting off a few shots from his DC-17. As he checked the one trooper, CT-6167, Quick, and Penny moved to cover them. Sponger burst from the grass nearby, racing past, firing his Z-6 into the distance. Several more clones from third platoon ran by, advancing the line. Krozer and Tetch picked up their unconscious brothers.

"We need a place to hold the wounded," Krozer said. Drop, who had just run into the clearing behind the others, replied,

"Lay them over there. I'll see about a medivac. Quick, Penny, stay with them. 6167, you're with me."

Drop ran ahead, 6167 on his heels. Nova and second platoon raced through as well, and the entire force seemed to be passing them by. Quick muttered under his helmet, while Penny looked above at the dogfight overhead. Krozer injected the two wounded clones with a bacta shot.

"This should keep them. Tetch, radio Bridger for a medivac."

"On it. This is CT-1171 requesting immediate evac for wounded."

"Do you think they'll send help?" Penny asked.

"They better send in our reinforcements. Where's the 303rd?" Quick replied.

"Understood," Tetch said through his radio. "I'll inform the general."

"What's going on?" Krozer inquired.

"The 303rd never made it to the surface. The blockade's preventing any more deployments. I'll go tell General I'sha."

Tetch ran off towards the front of the lines. Alone, Krozer, Quick, and Penny waited. A rustling sounded nearby. Quick and Penny drew their blasters, aiming into the distance, when they heard footsteps from behind. Turning around, they lowered their carbines, raising their arms in surrender. A squad of Grillion soldiers appeared, carrying rifles.

"You have wounded?" the one in charge asked. Krozer nodded.

"We have a camp. Follow us."

Quick and Penny grabbed the wounded and dragged them away, following these mysterious new allies.


End file.
